Here is today's summary of economic development news, a free service of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, representing Alabama's private sector investment in economic development. If you enjoy NewsFlash, thank an
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When North Korea fired a missile through Japan's air space in August, it was a shot across the bow that confirms a nuclear threat to areas like South Korea and Guam.

It's an escalating threat that might one day be thwarted with missiles manufactured by Alabama workers at the Lockheed Martin Corp. facility in Pike County.

Production there has been steadily increasing, and the Missile Defense Agency recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $273 million Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) to begin production and delivery of additional interceptors for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system - missiles that will be constructed and delivered through March 2020 at the massive facility in Troy.

An anecdote told by a Honda employee from Alabama last week illustrates how women in manufacturing are making a difference.

The story was told during last week's SOUTH-TEC conference in Greenville, S.C., showcasing the latest manufacturing technologies.

According to
Greenville Business Magazine, Kimberly Jackson of business operations with Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, said that having women on the team designing Honda vans has made them a better product. That ensures the company stays competitive.

Officials at the Montgomery Regional Airport announced Monday that they will be offering direct flights to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., through American Airlines. The news comes amid a push from the county to expand services at the airport and is slated to begin June 7, 2018.

There will be a morning flight coming into Montgomery, and with another flight back to Washington later in the afternoon.

FLORENCE - When representatives of Sycamore Physician Consulting stepped on the Shoals Alabama Launchpad stage in January for the first rendition of the pitch contest, the company had 27 doctors and a handful of facilities signed up for its services.

Now, eight months after being awarded $27,500 in the finals of the contest in February, the web-based physician matching service has 142 physicians and 175 facilities using the company to match emergency medicine physicians with health care facilities needing doctors to cover shifts.

That's the power of the exposure and infusion of capital from the regional business investment competition.